


A Night in Moscow

by supercalvin



Series: A.S.S. (Agents of Secret Stuff) [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 11:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2267463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercalvin/pseuds/supercalvin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The man lowered his gun and stepped into the light. He had grown so much in ten years. His black hair was longer, but just as unruly. He was as tall as the last time she had seen him, but he had grown into his height. His chest and arms were well defined under his entirely black uniform. Time had been good to her old friend.<br/>“Ambrosii” she smiled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Night in Moscow

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I only get ideas for this series at very random moments and if I don't write it down in less than 24 hours it all goes away. So here it is, a brand new fic straight from my random thoughts to the internet.
> 
> (Wow. Was May really the last time I wrote something for this series? Okay, just a reminder that A.S.S. was just going to be a one shot and turned into a series of one shots. This was not my plan, but I like it.)
> 
> Reminder: 'Ambrosii' is Merlin's birth name and 'King' is Arthur's codename.

Eira scanned the deserted building. It was always a deserted building, wasn’t it? At least it wasn’t an abandoned warehouse. That would have been far too cliché.

She was at the head of the team, making a straight path to the agreed floor and room.  Sefa and Cenred were covering her seven and five o’clock as she kept her senses open to anything unusual in front of them. Somewhere in the opposite building Valiant was covering the entire situation with his sniper. The room was a large ballroom. All the lights in the ballroom were off but they could see thanks to the city lights which cascaded across the glass and polished floor.

They waited in the middle of the ballroom for five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen.

Something crashed nearby and her team stiffened, but they did not move. She didn’t hear Valiant’s voice over her ear piece which meant he didn’t see anything. It could be a rat for all she knew.

One moment it was silent enough to hear a pin drop, the next there was the sound of wire on metal. Then someone dropped from the ceiling with the grace of someone who had done it their entire life. It only took a moment for Eira to pull her gun on the subject. The person was cloaked in darkness, but she could see that the subject had already pulled a weapon on her and her team. The person unhooked the wire from their waist, weapon steady.

“ _Well_.” She spoke in English. She was trained to speak clearly in an English accent, but she wasn’t tricking anyone tonight, so she let her Russian accent fill her tone. “Show yourself.”

The man lowered his gun and stepped into the light. He had grown so much in ten years. His black hair was longer, but just as unruly. He was as tall as the last time she had seen him, but he had grown into his height. His chest and arms were well defined under his entirely black uniform. Time had been good to her old friend.

“ _Ambrosii_ ” she smiled and opened her arms to him in a welcoming gesture. She knew he would not embrace her. Even when they had been close, affection was not something they were taught to indulge. She put her gun back into its holster.

“Eira” He said fondly, with the same cold smile she had admired when they was merely teenagers. Back then his smile looked clever and tricky. Now he looked powerful.

From behind her, Sefa spoke up, “You look well, my friend.” She spoke in Russian.

Eira would have thought Ambrosii’s Russian would be rusty from years of disuse, but his words were as soft and clear as they always were. “Sefa, my dear. It’s been too long.”

“Have you missed me?” She asked with mischief in her tone. It might have fooled Ambrosii, but Eira knew that Sefa had desperately missed Ambrosii. A long time ago there had been a short fling between them. Eira never cared to figure out how deep the affection went on either side.  Even if it was only fun, Eira disapproved of a relationship in the team.

“I have thought of you often.” Ambrosii said affectionately.

“You’ve been away from home for too long, Ambrosii.” Eira said. There were other agents who could be hired for Ambrosii’s former position on her team, but no one could ever replace him. His innate talent was something that could not be replaced. “I’ve certainly missed your expertise.”

“Certainly you could find a replacement for me while I was away?” Ambrosii laughed, just as carefree as he had been as a child.

“ _Away_ ” Cenred snarled. “Is that what you call it?”

Eira held up her hand before Cenred could say another word. She knew Cenred was not on the best terms with Ambrosii, but Cenred would obey her or face the consequences. Cenred may disagree with their orders, but he would not disobey her.

Only a week ago they had gotten orders from Headquarters saying that Eira’s team was to meet with one of HQ’s double agents. It was only after receiving the file that she discovered that the double agent was Ambrosii.

She couldn’t believe what she was reading when she first opened the file. She had thought Ambrosii had gone rogue all those years ago, but apparently not. She had believed Ambrosii to still be rogue, picking up quick kills as a mere _assassin_. As if he was not trained for so much more. But the file came in and it was all too easy to imagine what had really happened all those years ago. As she read, the clearer it became.

He had always played the fool far too well. It must have been easy for him to slip into the British government as an _innocent_ rogue. They would never have known the bomb that stood right in front of them. Ambrosii might play the fool, but he was the best agent that Headquarters had to offer. She should have known that HQ would not have let Ambrosii gone rogue. They would rather have him dead then not on their side.

Ambrosii’s smile did not falter at Cenred’s words. “Cenred. I must say that I did not miss you, old friend.”

Cenred had always hated Ambrosii for his skill. She had no sympathy for her team member, Eira had preferred Ambrosii over Cenred and always would.

“I see my bullet did not kill you.” Cenred growled. “Too bad.”

“Yes.” Ambrosii hummed. “Thank you for that. The bullet was such a nice one too. You should have used it on a true enemy.”

Cenred opened his mouth but Eira cut him off with a sharp, “ _Enough_.” She turned only for a second to look Cenred in the eye, “If you do not behave, I shall shoot you myself.”

Cenred snapped his jaw shut. “Yes, Captain.”

“Good boy.”

Ambrosii laughed. “Still wicked as ever, Eira.”

“Thank you, Ambrosii.”

They stood for a moment in each other’s company. But they did not have time to catch up. They came here for the intelligence Ambrosii had collected. She wondered how far he had burrowed into Britain after all these years. She could not fathom all the men and women whose trust he had falsely earned.

“Do you have what HQ wants?” She asked.

“Yes.” He held out his hands to show that he was not pulling a weapon, a sign they had learned together as children. From his pocket he took out a small flash drive and held it up for her to see.

He tossed it to Sefa who already had her laptop out to check the flash drive’s contents.

“It’s taken years to get all that information.” He said seriously, watching Sefa with a sharp eye.

“And you have done your country a great service, one it will never know. But for those of us who know your sacrifice: we thank you, Ambrosii.”

He bowed his head slightly, “That is all the praise I will ever need, Captain.”

“It’s all here.” Sefa said, smiling brightly at Ambrosii. He grinned back at her.

“Captian, Borden said he got something.” Valiant said over her ear piece. She held up her hand and everyone stopped as she spoke to Val.

“What is it, Val?” She asked cautiously, still watching Ambrosii.

“A man. _English_.” He said with a meaningful tone. “Borden grabbed him. He’s bringing him to you.”

“Well done.” she said. She felt her team relax behind her, but Ambrosii was still out of the loop, without any ear piece. If an Englishman was here it was more than likely that it was Ambrosii who had been followed.

“You’ve caught a tail, my friend.” She tutted and wagged her finger at him. “Very unlike you. Would you like to deal with him yourself, or shall I?”

“A tail?” Ambrosii asked, surprise coloring his features. “If anything, _you_ have caught a tail.” He sounded offended that she believed him to be so careless.

She heard Borden outside the ballroom a moment later. He was always a loud man. That’s why she never assigned him on the stealth team. He entered the room, pulling a man behind him. The man was walking on his feet, but his hands were tied behind his back and his mouth was gagged.

“Captain.” Borden greeted and pushed the man to his knees in front of Eira. “Found him listening in from the adjacent room. Took his weapons and tied him.”

“Thank you, Borden.” She hummed and looked at the man. He was blond with bright blue eyes. Despite the blood on his brow, which she assumed was from Borden, he was very handsome.

She bent down until she was face to face with him. “Look at the little fly on the wall.” She touched his cheek and he jerked away from her touch. “Not very smart, either. Do you know what you’ve just walked in on, little fly?”

“ _King_.”

Eira looked up and saw that Ambrosii had gone pale with shock. He looked uneasy on his feet. The last time she had seen him so distraught Will had been fatally wounded.

“King?” she repeated. Then she remembered what she had read in the mission file. ‘King’ was Ambrosii’s British partner, the man he had deceived enough to gain the entirety of his trust.

She smiled down at the man, who looked angrier and angrier the more she watched him. “King, is it? You must be very _distraught_ to discover that your partner is a double agent. How he must have deceived you.” She whispered in his ear. His eyes were sharp with anger but she could also see how vulnerable he was. She had him right where she wanted him.

She pulled her gun and aimed it right between his eyes. He didn’t flinch at all and she admired his courage. She hated when they quivered in fear. There was no honor in that.

“No!” Ambrosii shouted and took one step forward, but he caught himself. He swallowed and Eira could see that he was trying to compose himself. “There’s no reason to kill him.”

“Isn’t there?” Sefa asked, “He knows your secret.”

Ambrosii looked down at King. Eira understood with that one look.

“You’ve grown _attached_ to him.” She said in disbelief, the gun still aimed at the man on his knees.

“You can’t be serious.” Cenred said in disgust, “He’s a _British spy_.” He said the words as if it were the worst insult he could think of.

Ambrosii shook his head, but he still looked pale. “Have patience, my friends.” He smiled. It didn’t look genuine. “If there is one thing I have learned while I was away, it is that you can’t shoot first and ask questions later. Dead men do not speak.”

Eira eyed Ambrosii then the man in front of her. “ _Fine_ ” She lowered her gun. “But only because you are an old friend, Ambrosii.” She gestured for Borden to take the gag off King.

“What do you have to say for yourself, little fly?” She asked.

“ _Emrys, you bastard_ ” were the first words out of his mouth, directed at Ambrosii. His head was turned enough to see Ambrosii out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t move any farther. “I trusted you-” The words caught in the man’s throat. “I should shoot you where you stand, you _traitor_.”

“ _King_.” Ambrosii looked desperate and he might have been close to tears, if the brightness in his eyes was any indication. He looked like he wanted to step closer to King, but he stood where he was, his hands in fists at his side. “ _Please_.” Ambrosii pleaded. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

 King laughed and it was a cold sound that resonated throughout the entire ballroom. “I should have never trusted you.” he whispered.

Ambrosii looked like he had been shot, he took a step back in surprise. Eira wondered just how deep Ambrosii had been invested in his undercover mission.

King looked back to Eira. “You better shoot me. I’m not a traitor to my country. If you let me go I _will_ report back to my superiors.”

She laughed as she raised her gun again. “You Englishmen are so proud.”

“ _King_.” Ambrosii took a step forward this time, looking like he wanted to run to King and _beg_. When it came to a mission, she had not believed Ambrosii capable of such a weakness. It was a fatal flaw to become attached to anyone on a mission. Ambrosii’s voice shook as he spoke. “King, _don’t_. _Please_. Tell her you won’t tell a soul. Tell her you will keep my secret.”

King looked down at the floor. Eira watched as the man shivered for a moment. “No, love.” He hung his head, not looking at Ambrosii. “I can’t do that.”

“ _Please_.” Ambrosii voice cracked and she saw just how much Ambrosii had grown attached to the Englishman. He was in love. What an absurd thought.

King looked up at Eira, tears on his cheeks. She could see that Ambrosii was not the only one who had fallen in love. His final words were an order, clear and simple. “Shoot me.”

Eira smiled. “As you wish.” She aimed-

Ambrosii tackled her to the ground, the gun went off and the sound echoed throughout the ballroom. She gasped as the air was knocked out of her. She had forgotten how skilled Ambrosii was when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Her gun was out of her hands in a flash. He straddled her chest, her own gun in his hands and aimed at her forehead.

“Don’t. You. _Dare_.” He growled as he rested the barrel on her brow.

In her peripheral vision she could see that Borden, Sefa, and Cenred all had their guns aimed at Ambrosii. She suspected that Valiant’s target was now on Ambrosii as well.

“Come now, Ambrosii.” She hummed in annoyance. “Certainly you will not miss the Englishman that much.”

His eyes were cold, more so than they had ever been when he was a teenager. He looked murderous.

“If you so much as lay a _single finger_ on my husband, I will make sure your death is _painfully slow_. I know how to ensure such a death. _You_ taught me.”

Eira stared wide eyed at Ambrosii. Certainly he wasn’t serious? She could feel the uncertainty in her team as they looked at Ambrosii. Their slight hesitation was their ruin. King was on his feet in a second. His hands were no longer tied and a concealed weapon was drawn, aimed, and fired. She screamed but there was no time for any warning before Ambrosii rolled off her and shot several rounds at her team.

They scattered, but it was too late. King and Ambrosii had already attacked. Her team was down in a matter of seconds. Sefa was holding her leg, Borden was knocked out and Cenred was on the floor, his side bleeding. Eira had no more weapons on her, except a dagger in her boot. She didn’t _dare_ make a grab for it while Ambrosii still held a gun in his hand.

King was at Ambrosii’s side, not a single look of betrayal on his features. They both had their guns aimed at the team. She knew if Ambrosii wanted them dead, they would be dead already. She briefly wondered what happened to Val and guessed that King wasn’t the only British agent Ambrosii brought along.

“You weren’t supposed to get caught, cabbagehead.” Ambrosii said with a glare towards King.

“I didn’t get caught on purpose, _idiot._ ” King bit back.

Ambrosii rolled his eyes. “I liked what you did with the whole betrayal thing. That worked well. Very dramatic”

“Thank you” King hummed, “Your acting was beautiful as always, love.”

A genuine grin spread across Ambrosii’s face before he turned back to Eira.

In that moment, Eira saw her mistake. She closed her eyes in regret, hopelessly wishing her team would make it back home. But she knew that there was one thing certain about Ambrosii: he was the best agent, no matter what side he was on. And it appeared he was not on her side. There was no one who could possibly come to their rescue.

Ambrosii leaned toward King, “You’re okay, right?”

“Perfectly.” King said with a smile, no trace of pain in his tone. “You would think someone who was trained alongside you would make knots as well as you.” He scoffed as he gestured to the bindings scattered on the floor. “You know when I want to be tied up I prefer the correct knots.”

Gun still aimed at Eira, Ambrosii laughed and pet the side of King’s face. “And I prefer it when I’m the one tying you up.”

King smiled and kissed Ambrosii’s cheek. “Maybe after we finish the mission, love.”

Ambrosii rolled his eyes, “No I thought we should just leave them and make a run for the nearest hotel.”

“Tempting.” King hummed. He flashed a quick grin to Ambrosii before he knelt next to Borden and began to bind the unconscious man.

The team’s weapons were confiscated and they were tied with their wrists and ankles together.

“You bastard.” She hissed at her former friend. “I should have known.”

“I told you he was a traitor.” Cenred said through gritted teeth. He was still losing a lot of blood.

Ambrosii took Eira’s face in his hands and held her gaze only a few inches from his. “Listen very closely.” His voice was dangerous and sharp. “Do you remember all those years ago, when we went out on a mission? We were only fifteen, but we were already the best. And _you_ fucked it up. Do you remember that? Do you remember how _your fuck up_ got Will shot? Do you remember how he bled out in my arms?” His grip on her jaw tightened. “Because I do. I have never forgotten, nor will I ever forgive.”

She held his gaze for a long moment and she hated that she was the first one to look away. She could not deny that it was her fault Will was dead. “He was a good agent.” She muttered.

Ambrosii smacked her hard and her head reeled with the pain. “He was a _boy_.” He growled. “He shouldn’t have been on a mission. He should have been going to school, getting in trouble with his parents, and having a fucking _childhood_.”

He pushed her down and tightened her bindings before leaving her with her face pressed to the cold ballroom floor.

She could hear a small sound that could have been Sefa trying to talk with Ambrossi, but he did not respond to her. Eira saw Ambrosii pick up the flash drive and put it back in the same pocket from which he had pulled it out. She was sure the information was false. Even the mission assignment and Ambrosii’s file was all part of trap she had led her team into.

Eira saw King walk up to Ambrosii and cup his face. “You alright?”

Ambrossi sighed as he touched King’s wrist tenderly. “I still miss him.”

“I know.” King kissed his forehead. “If we leave now we can still visit his grave.”

“You’d sneak into The Agency’s graveyard for me?”

“Of course I will.” King scoffed, as if it were easy. Eira wanted to punch him, but she could barely move.

The last she ever saw of Ambrosii was his back as he walked out the door with King at his side.

**Author's Note:**

> I know people wanted more of the A.S.S. series but I was at a loss at what to write. Then this came to mind and it all just tumbled out.
> 
> I'm going on vacation tomorrow, so if I do not respond to you it's not that I don't love you it's because I have no internet. (Feel sorry for me, a week without internet).
> 
> Feedback is appreciated as always.


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